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Shapermc
Hot Sake!
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
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 Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:10 am Post subject: Someone else's predection for the PSP |
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| Quote: | Interview with Al Reis
1. At launch, you picked the Xbox to beat the Gamecube in the market. In terms of units shipped, it looked like you were right. In terms of revenue, it seems that Nintendo must have won the financial war--sell fewer consoles but actually turning a profit. What happens if Sony just outspends Nintendo to win market share in the handheld space?
I don't think it's a question of money. It's a question of game value. What will the kids like best, the larger screen of the Sony PSP or the dual screens of the Nintendo DS?
It's going to be close, but I think the Nintendo DS will win. A plus factor for the Nintendo machine is that it's cheaper.
Forget the multimedia capability of the Sony PSP. No kid is going to watch movies on a 4.3 inch screen (and pay $20 or so for the movie) when they can watch it at home on a 30-inch plasma or L.C.D. screen for free.
As usual, convergence is a dud.
All the media stories I have read, however, predict that the Sony PSP is going to be the big winner. The February 2005 issue of Wired magazine and the March 2005 issue of Mobile PC magazine, for example. Both had direct comparisons of the two products.
2 When Sony launched the PlayStation 2, the touted its DVD player capability. But, over time, this feature has not been a big part of the PS2s success. With that in mind, should we really think of the PSP as a convergence device?
Well, it is a convergence device, but it's going to be used as a single-function divergence device. For playing games, period.
The movie and MP3 capabilities are just wasted. All they do is increase the price. Without then (and at a lower price) the Sony PSP might have killed the competition.
3. How much of the market do you think the PSP can achieve? Will achieve?
I assume that the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP together will have at least 90 percent of the market. If so, then the Nintendo DS will probably get 50 percent and the Sony PSP 40 percent.
One of the reasons why the Sony PSP will even achieve this high a percentage is the incredible amount of media hype the machine has received. It reminds me of the introduction of the Xerox 914 and the IBM PC.
4. What do you think that Sony needs to do in order to grab a significant chunk of the handheld market?
Come out with a PSP without the movie and MP3 features at a lower price.
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So I was in EBGames picking up Morrowind the orther day and this kid was with his dad. This kid must have had about $400 to spend as he had a stack of PS2 games and the new GT4 wheel on the counter. His dad asked why he did not want to pick up the PSP.
"I will probably loose it or drop it or scratch it. I mean, I don't want to watch movies while I am out and I have GT4 now, why would I want a small racing game. Too bad the DS does not have any games I want our I would have bought that."
That is pretty close to exactly what he said. Now this guy also had some pretty bland choices in games on the counter too.
Were the PSP $150 and only played game... hell I would have gotten it on release. I agree with what the above interviewed stated. |
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SuperWes
Updated the banners, but not his title
Joined: 07 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 2:58 pm Post subject: Re: Someone else's predection for the PSP |
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| Quote: | Interview with Al Reis
The movie and MP3 capabilities are just wasted. All they do is increase the price. Without then (and at a lower price) the Sony PSP might have killed the competition. |
Here's where I'm lost. In what way does having these features increase the price? Video games contain music, and the style of video games that Sony wanted their system to play contain video, so why does it raise the price of the system to allow it to do these things outside of games? Being a proprietary movie format, Sony doesn't even have the DVD format licensing fees to pass on to the consumer.
Yeah, it's not going to sell as a convergence device, but these features mean that Sony can use their system to make money and expand their audience both outside of gaming and within. I think that they'd be more likely to release a video and music only version of the system before they release a game only version...
-Wes
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Legal Step
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Joined: 15 Feb 2005
Posts: 81
Location: Los Angeles
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:45 pm Post subject: |
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Convergence has put Sony in the position it's in now. It's sad but true. It doesn't need these features, it should just be a games machine for about half the cost.
And they should get Panasonic to make it, it would last longer.
I wanted to buy a PSP game today instead I got Zoo Keeper for 20.00 at Gamestop. Their price structure is wrong too. Paying 50.00 for a port of a PS2 game, that's ridiculous.
The sad thing is nintendo deosn't have to do anything to beat them except continue to support GBA...DS makes them look nice.
I own a PSP, and somehow deep inside I feel like I'm rooting against Sony when I read these things, yet in my heart I know they are true. |
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friedchicken
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Joined: 16 Mar 2005
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Location: Port Land, OR
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| Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 7:12 am Post subject: |
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I don't know. I just get the sense that once Sony drops the price, the PSP is going to sell like hotcakes. The fact that you have to buy it as part of a $350+ bundle at EB, and currently every EB I've been in has been sold out tells me that they may not even need to drop the price by much. I swear I don't know where people get the money, but hey, good for them.
As to how this will effect Nintendo, I think Legal Step is right, they just need to keep selling the GBA to stay up there. But then I never thought that the PSP was the GBA or DS-killer that the press seems to want to make it out to be. With all the multimedia stuff added on it competes as much with the iPod as with the GBA/DS. |
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Mister Toups
Hates your favorite videogame
Joined: 26 Jan 2005
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Location: Lafayette, LA
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| Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 9:45 am Post subject: |
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Have any official sales figures been released?
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Shapermc
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Joined: 14 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 12:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Mister Toups wrote: | | Have any official sales figures been released? |
US Sales figures suck. The PSP is doing quite well in jaypan. Game Science constantly has updates on its site for sales.
Also, yea, the PSP would sell like hot cakes for $100 less. I would have one.
Wes, I think the thing about convergense is that Sony spent time and money to make the MP3 and video tools work with the memory card. It is a big thing that they are trying to promote the PSP with. Sony itself is trying to push their memory sticks way too hard. Anyways, I will never use a PSP as a MP3 player. I may put some little "here look at this" kind of video on the stick, but nothing like they are trying to promote it. The UD movies are way too much, Games are a bit too much. It just seems like a mistake.
It also point me (and I am sure others) to the point that this price will definatly drop. |
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friedchicken
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Joined: 16 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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| shapermc wrote: | | It also point me (and I am sure others) to the point that this price will definatly drop. |
I'm willing to stake my fine reputation as a Gamer's Quarter forum member on the fact that the system will drop waaay down. My guess would be to $149.99, but that they average game will stay at $39.99, with occasional exceptions selling for $29.99 new (sort of like how some GBA games start at $19.99 and some DS games start at $29.99).
I've gotten through the initial few weeks of PSP hunger. I still think I'll wait until there are a few more original games that aren't just near-ports. |
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Mister Toups
Hates your favorite videogame
Joined: 26 Jan 2005
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Location: Lafayette, LA
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| Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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It's hard for me to comment on things like this because I tend not to think like your average consumer. The fanciest media gadget I have is a 3 year old discman. I refuse to buy into the minidisc/mp3 player/ipod craze, and similar capabilities with the PSP sure as hell ain't going to sway me. But apparently other people dig that kind of crap.
I'm more or less with aderack on this one. I don't like videogames, and I sure as hell don't like spending ridiculous amounts of money on them. If I were to buy a PSP at this point in time it would just be a huge waste of money. The DS would be a medium waste of money that I would eventually be able to play the new Castlevania game (and katamari damacy) on.
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TOLLMASTER
nippon ichi PR man
Joined: 15 Feb 2005
Posts: 187
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| Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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| The problem with the PSP at the moment is that it doesn't know what its market is. You have a $250+ (with all the extra baggage they sell) system with 50 dollar games with not quite the power of the system almost every household already has with similar games to said system. The hardcore gamers (minus my poor self) are willing to pay for this, but the games out right now just don't cater to the hardcore, but to the "men in the middle" who won't spend that much money. If Sony can drop the price, or prove to the casual gamers why they need a $250 handheld, they'll sell like lolicakes. Meanwhile, the DS has the support of school-age children who can immediately pick up Nintendo's simple games and control system and the people who want a new handheld and only have 150 bucks to spend. |
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ajutla
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Joined: 25 Oct 2004
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Location: Kansas City
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| Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2005 10:28 pm Post subject: |
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The PSP has a nice screen.
The DS has two not-nearly-as-nice screens.
Neither one, at the moment, can play a decent version of Tetris. I therefore don't really give a damn. |
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SuperWes
Updated the banners, but not his title
Joined: 07 Dec 2004
Posts: 3725
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| Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2005 9:04 am Post subject: |
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| ajutla wrote: | The PSP has a nice screen.
The DS has two not-nearly-as-nice screens.
Neither one, at the moment, can play a decent version of Tetris. I therefore don't really give a damn. |
To be fair, Lumines is a pretty damn decent version of Tetris. And Meteos is a pretty damn decent version of Tetris Attack.
-Wes
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Karii
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Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Posts: 31
Location: Tampa, FL
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| Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2005 10:12 pm Post subject: |
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Toups wrote:
| Quote: | | I don't like videogames, and I sure as hell don't like spending ridiculous amounts of money on them. |
Ok, I am not trying to be sarcastic but how can you say that you don't like videogames when you authored 2 large articles about them here and post about them at InsertCredit.com?
It's like a vegetarian saying they don't like vegetables, but they sure do eat a whole hell of a lot of them. |
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Sushi d
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| Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2005 10:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Karii wrote: |
It's like a vegetarian saying they don't like vegetables, but they sure do eat a whole hell of a lot of them. |
lol, vegetarians..
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friedchicken
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Joined: 16 Mar 2005
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Location: Port Land, OR
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| Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2005 5:31 am Post subject: |
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| Sushi d wrote: | | lol, vegetarians.. |
Hey, that's just not nice.
But really, yeah, I don't quite buy it Toups. I think you like video games even more than I do, and that's saying something. |
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Mr. Mechanical
Friendly Stranger
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2005 5:46 am Post subject: |
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Toups is just saying that because it's the hipster thing to say and he's a hipster fag.
No really.
I'm just fucking with you Toups. |
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Shapermc
Hot Sake!
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2005 7:08 am Post subject: |
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| Oh snap. Toups is getting called out! |
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dhex
Breeder
Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 6319
Location: brooklyn, Nev Yiork
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| Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2005 8:37 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Ok, I am not trying to be sarcastic but how can you say that you don't like videogames when you authored 2 large articles about them here and post about them at InsertCredit.com? |
i don't know about you guys, but after 15 minutes in a game store listening to other peoples' conversations, i don't like video games much anymore.
that's not counting actual discussions with employees. "want a strategy guide with that?" stuff aside. at least the guy i bought morrowind from was cool...he laughed when i told him "getting lost is half the fun."
and it is, dammit. it is. |
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Sushi d
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| Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2005 3:22 pm Post subject: |
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| dhex wrote: | | ..."want a strategy guide with that?"... |
lol, strategy guides.
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Karii
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Joined: 03 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 8:54 am Post subject: |
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| dhex wrote: |
i don't know about you guys, but after 15 minutes in a game store listening to other peoples' conversations, i don't like video games much anymore.
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Nah, you just don't like stupid people. I have heard massive amounts of ignorance at the game store myself, so I can understand your point.
| dhex wrote: |
that's not counting actual discussions with employees. "want a strategy guide with that?" stuff aside. |
Sadly, they have to ask you or be executed by the DM. Been there, did that, got fired for not hawking enough magazines. It sucked and I feel bad for people stuck in that corporate monster now. |
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Legal Step
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Joined: 15 Feb 2005
Posts: 81
Location: Los Angeles
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 10:51 am Post subject: |
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More PSP news courtesy of USA Today*,found via laming age.
*Helps you work rest and play |
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Shapermc
Hot Sake!
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 11:01 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | "I expect that by the end of 2006, the Sony PSP will be outshipping both the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance," O'Rourke says. |
Hahahahahahahahaha....
ahhhh...
hahahahahahahahaha
DS, quite possible, both...
HAHAHAHAHA! |
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dhex
Breeder
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 11:03 am Post subject: |
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oh, i realize why. just as i enjoy explaining the economics behind those discount cards to folk who ask me "what, you don't like saving money?"
but i meant what i said "Nah, you just don't like stupid people." is only half of it - i particularly don't like being associated with a medium tailor-made for stupid people.
it's not even stupidity, really...it's immaturity. i want someone to ask hard fucking questions with a game, beyond "why does a haunted house with a thousand horrors in it have a baby grand piano?" |
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Persona-sama
Weltbeherrschen Mangaka
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 1:48 pm Post subject: |
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What kind of questions would they be, dhex?
I'm not trying to be sarcastic, I'm honestly curious. |
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dhex
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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classical stuff. platonic, even.
questions of a philosphical, ethical or religious nature. or situations forcing people to ask those sorts of questions without having to resort to hand-holding. an rpg set in the enlightenment - can you get voltaire into switzerland?
again, i ask too much of the wrong medium in the wrong age. deus ex came close in spots, but that's a subject near and dear to my heart. any game that mentions adam weishaupt - via a chinese tong member named tong - is an automatic a+ |
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EightBit
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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| dhex wrote: | classical stuff. platonic, even.
questions of a philosphical, ethical or religious nature. or situations forcing people to ask those sorts of questions without having to resort to hand-holding. an rpg set in the enlightenment - can you get voltaire into switzerland?
again, i ask too much of the wrong medium in the wrong age. deus ex came close in spots, but that's a subject near and dear to my heart. any game that mentions adam weishaupt - via a chinese tong member named tong - is an automatic a+ |
I'll have the pancakes and the age of enlightnement please.
i've been working on a game... and after what you just said I really wish I could make it magically finish itself this very moment so you could play it. I bet you'd take a liking to it. Unfortunatly, its going to be a long way off... a LONG way off*. It pretty much revolves around punishment, and its consequences. The player would end up deciding punishment for a certain character by the end of the game. Not by archaic Q&A trees though. It would be determined by the players actions. An example would be that they can goto one of three area's to save one of three people. At that point in the story, each of those three people will be of a different importance to the character, and which one the player chooses would speak of the type of person they are, thereby heading tword a particular path of punishment. It's kinda complicated to explain though, and I havent gotten it all down on paper. It's my primary game idea though.. it's my baby.
*Unless any game publishers reading this right now that would like to get thier hands on a fantastic game idea, or give me the money to not work as a file clerk and only work on this game. Feel free to message me and we'll be making loving happy times.
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dhex
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 8:07 pm Post subject: |
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well, you know where to find me.
but yeah, consequentialism is something i'm interested in. and not just cause it's the wrong usage of that word. |
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Shapermc
Hot Sake!
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 7:05 am Post subject: |
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| EightBit wrote: | | i've been working on a game... |
What program you using?
Anyways, I have a feeling your really going to enjoy Issue #2... really. |
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Mister Toups
Hates your favorite videogame
Joined: 26 Jan 2005
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Location: Lafayette, LA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 7:25 am Post subject: |
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I've never denied being a hipster fag.
I'll clarify. I hate what videogames have become. The game that catches my fancy enough for me to write about it is pretty rare. Survival horror is maybe the only genre of modern video games that I take any serious interest in anymore. There's that and then a few major franchises (Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Castlevania... and that's it, really) that I follow with any interest. Maybe the occasional 3D platformer. But I usually wind up regretting playing those.
I rented Ratchet and Clank the other day (you know, the game that critics have been jizzing over since the first game) and it really didn't move me at all. I hated it. It wasn't fun. It went through all the platformer motions well enough. It even had guns... The problem was that it was, you know, only a videogame, if that makes sense. The only context for my actions was the flimsy, throwaway plot told through well produced but bland cut scenes. I mean what the hell IS Ratchet anyway? Who is he? Why should I care about him?
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Shapermc
Hot Sake!
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 7:31 am Post subject: |
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| Mister Toups wrote: | | I'll clarify. I hate what videogames have become. |
Good thing you have many years of history to re-educate yourself on.
Also enough good stuff comes out every year to keep me hopeful. Not enough for me to say gaming is at its peak, but things are good. |
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Mister Toups
Hates your favorite videogame
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Location: Lafayette, LA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 7:38 am Post subject: |
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Yeah. If more good titles came out per year I wouldn't have time to play them all, so it works out well for me.
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friedchicken
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:11 am Post subject: |
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Toups, I have to say I see where you're coming from. As odd as that may sound. Just kidding.
Seriously though, if not for the fact that there are years and years of great games that I've been able to rediscover, along with a fairly steady stream of newer but less hyped games that are coming out, I'd be in a sad state. It sucks that I feel like I know enough about what makes me enjoy a game to avoid the absolute dreck that is maybe 80% of new games but still occasionally get suckered into buying stuff that ends up giving me what I'll call from now on the 'Ratchet and Clank Syndrome', or RACS.
Two cases in point: Samurai Legend Musashi, which after a promising start, fell into wave after wave of a crappy combo system while fighting the same six or seven tired enemies. Stylish? Yes. Still stylish after you've killed the same enemy 100 times? Yes, but who cares. And, as much as hate to say it, God of War. Again, wave after wave of he same enemy, nice fighting engine, but like someone at IC commented, who cares about fighting if it's only an inconvenience to have to fight. Looks nice but is gratuitous in both the laughable use of boobs and the constant violence. I don't like the main guy at all, nor do I like the developers who put you in situations where you can barely avoid being a horrible, horrible person. It's been called 'what Rygar should have been', but you know, I only paid $5 or something for Rygar and as a result I didn't mind its flaws that much. God of War was 50 fucking dollars and I'm getting to the point where I can't stand it. Go fuck yourselves, SCEA.
Well, that felt good to get that off my chest.
In any event, I've learned that there are still good games being made, and that if I think a game will be so-so, I should wait until it drops in price. I mean, I gushed about Phantom Brave elsewhere, and it's the best $20 I've spent in a long time. I just wish I had found it when it was $50 to give Nippon Ichi a little more love. |
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Shapermc
Hot Sake!
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:30 am Post subject: |
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| friedchicken wrote: | | I just wish I had found it when it was $50 to give Nippon Ichi a little more love. |
I belive it was only $30 new... so yea. It may have been $40. But not $50.
EDIT: Also! Thank god someone agrees with me about the morality issue on GoW. I thought I was the only person with remorse. |
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friedchicken
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Location: Port Land, OR
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 9:01 am Post subject: |
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| shapermc wrote: | | EDIT: Also! Thank god someone agrees with me about the morality issue on GoW. I thought I was the only person with remorse. |
Yes, I agree 100%. My wife won't even play the game anymore or watch me play it, and I'm on the verge of trading it in.
It's different from something of a similar vein like Ninja Gaiden, where it's kill or be killed, and there's some supernatural element to what you're killing, as silly as that sounds. In GoW there are not only places where you have cut scenes of your character killing senselessly (the ship captain), but you're also placed in situations where it's almost impossible to NOT kill townspeople who are just trying to get away from monsters. I killed some poor townsperson running toward me who I mistook for an enemy, and it made me feel like crap for the rest of the evening. I'm not especially squeamish, and I know it's just a game, but come on. It's pretty ridiculous. If not for the amoral killing, I might forgive some of the other ways in which the game is lacking.
OH! And the boobs-- I just have to clarify. I'm no prude, but I think it's dumb that once they show one woman topless, they then have license to have almost every woman afterward either topless or in a gauzy negligee. It's gratuitous, and shows who the game is targeted toward. |
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SuperWes
Updated the banners, but not his title
Joined: 07 Dec 2004
Posts: 3725
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 9:06 am Post subject: |
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| shapermc wrote: | | I belive it was only $30 new... so yea. It may have been $40. But not $50. |
Actually. It was $50... I have a good memory for these things. I remember thinking that I should wait for it to go down, but I didn't want to miss out on the "limited edition." Grumble grumble.
-Wes
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Shapermc
Hot Sake!
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 9:08 am Post subject: |
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I think that after the Ships Captain thing in the throat was when I completly detached myself from the character. He went out of his way to be an evil bastard. Not hey, whoops sorry I could not save you, but fuck you man, I want to see you die.
Unfortunatly the game was fun as a game. I hated the main character. Would it have been horrible to have a QTE like sequence to try to pull the guy up? Would Kronos not have been a bad ass? No, Kronos would still be a bad ass. Kronos would still be a bad ass if you did not get health by killing cowering civilians. That part of the game was a huge turn off.
But then I got to snap a Siren in half backwards and things would be good again for a while.
I mean the fucking guy is trying to repent for all the evil he has done by... being more evil? Seriously, be consistant. |
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Shapermc
Hot Sake!
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
Posts: 6279
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 9:10 am Post subject: |
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| SuperWes wrote: | | shapermc wrote: | | I belive it was only $30 new... so yea. It may have been $40. But not $50. |
Actually. It was $50... I have a good memory for these things. I remember thinking that I should wait for it to go down, but I didn't want to miss out on the "limited edition." Grumble grumble.
-Wes |
Wow, it dropped like super quick then. I was in EB a week or 2 after release and it was already $30. |
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SuperWes
Updated the banners, but not his title
Joined: 07 Dec 2004
Posts: 3725
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 9:18 am Post subject: |
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About the God of War senseless killing and nudity:
I'm all for it!!!
Seriously. I think it's a strong step forward for gaming as an entertainment medium. Games almost always contain gratuitous violence just because that's what people associate with video games, but gratuitous nudity makes the bold statement that games really are for adults, and God of War makes no apologies for shunning the under-18 audience.
And the forced murder of innocent people helps to establish what kind of character Kronos is, and forces you to become that character. If it's jarring that's because it's supposed to be jarring. It's meant to put you in his situation. You aren't playing the game as yourself, you're playing it as Kronos, and as a totally linear game there are no pretenses about giving you the freedom to play it how you want.
-Wes
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Shapermc
Hot Sake!
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
Posts: 6279
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 9:39 am Post subject: |
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Wes, if you were the most evil fucker in the world and went seeking the gods forgivness for what you had done ... I mean... you would have had something happen that you NO LONGER WANTED TO BE FUCKING EVIL!
Also nudity does not equal mature in my eyes. Nudity was handled immaturely at points in this game.
| Quote: | | as a totally linear game there are no pretenses about giving you the freedom to play it how you want. |
Which forces you to dislike it more if you do not agree with it. I never said I wanted it to play how I want, I said that I did not like it how it was on their terms. I think I should have been able to play the story sequences how I would have reacted to certain situations (there are only a few that I could think of and would have had 0 effect on the ending).
Anyways the forced innocent killing in the game makes part of the end of the game even more idiotic and nonsensical. If you try to defend it I would just rip your soul out and step on it, but I don't want to give spoilers so I won't even mention the point. |
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SuperWes
Updated the banners, but not his title
Joined: 07 Dec 2004
Posts: 3725
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 9:49 am Post subject: |
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| shapermc wrote: | | Wes, if you were the most evil fucker in the world and went seeking the gods forgivness for what you had done ... I mean... you would have had something happen that you NO LONGER WANTED TO BE FUCKING EVIL! |
Point taken, but you're acting out Kronos' story, and Kronos was an evil dude. Think of it as a Terrantino movie where all of the characters are seeking redemption through sin.
| shapermc wrote: | | Also nudity does not equal mature in my eyes. Nudity was handled immaturely at points in this game. |
But name me a game that handles violence in a mature way? It's consistant with video games. This one in particular.
| shapermc wrote: | | Quote: | | as a totally linear game there are no pretenses about giving you the freedom to play it how you want. |
Which forces you to dislike it more if you do not agree with it. I never said I wanted it to play how I want, I said that I did not like it how it was on their terms. I think I should have been able to play the story sequences how I would have reacted to certain situations |
I'm just saying that not every game needs to offer this freedom, just as not every game needs to appeal to everyone's tastes. God of War has a pretty narrow focus on what it's tryinig to do, and I respect that. I'll have to get to the ending before I can fully agree or disagree with this though.
| shapermc wrote: | | Anyways the forced innocent killing in the game makes part of the end of the game even more idiotic and nonsensical. If you try to defend it I would just rip your soul out and step on it, but I don't want to give spoilers so I won't even mention the point. |
Yeah, I haven't beaten it yet so don't spoil it for me. I did get to the point where you find out what made Kronos revolt against Aries though. That was pretty neat.
-Wes
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friedchicken
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Joined: 16 Mar 2005
Posts: 496
Location: Port Land, OR
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 9:59 am Post subject: |
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| SuperWes wrote: | | I think it's a strong step forward for gaming as an entertainment medium. Games almost always contain gratuitous violence just because that's what people associate with video games, but gratuitous nudity makes the bold statement that games really are for adults, and God of War makes no apologies for shunning the under-18 audience. |
Well, yeah, I agree with your points completely. You're absolutely right, and in a medium that supports semi-realistically rendered nudity, there should be games that present it. The same with the violence. And I'm glad to see that there are games out there that do it. Hopefully more will follow.
It's just like in RE4, every time Leon says "Shit!", my wife and I just snicker about it-- and that's because language and nudity have been artificially absent from gaming far longer than the medium would have supported them. So it ends up seeming kind of pitiful to hear Leon swear, and to see the funky rendered breasts in GoW.
BUT! As for GoW, I don't care for it personally. I was just trying to present my case for why I'm pretty much wishing I hadn't blown $50 on it.
I think GoW is honest about the character of Kratos, but like Shapermc said, the storyline doesn't match up with the character's behavior. If Kratos is so haunted by his past , he doesn't achieve much by continuing to slaughter innocents. Or at least the game should give you the choice, and maybe even present different endings depending on your behavior. Maybe that was intended but not implemented or something. As it stands I can't connect with him at all. But maybe I'm just not supposed to. |
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friedchicken
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Joined: 16 Mar 2005
Posts: 496
Location: Port Land, OR
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 10:22 am Post subject: |
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| shapermc wrote: | | Nudity was handled immaturely at points in this game. |
And funny that it's all female nudity too. OH!!!
But seriously, male nudity was much less taboo to the classical Greeks. Of course that would instantly render the game unsellable to 90% of its target audience.
I'm really enjoying this thread, BTW, even though it's been derailed from PSP discussion.
We haven't touched too much on gameplay though. Is anybody else a little disappointed by the fighting engine, or the lack of variety in enemies? I mean, it could just be that I'm so turned off by other aspects of the game that I'm viewing it extra critically? Maybe I just need to go home tonight and play it after a few beers. |
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Shapermc
Hot Sake!
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
Posts: 6279
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 10:28 am Post subject: |
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| friedchicken wrote: | | We haven't touched too much on gameplay though. Is anybody else a little disappointed by the fighting engine, or the lack of variety in enemies? I mean, it could just be that I'm so turned off by other aspects of the game that I'm viewing it extra critically? Maybe I just need to go home tonight and play it after a few beers. |
Well actually I think the enemies were handled quite well in their lack of variaty. It is like bringing back pallet swaped enemies, see:
"This is not a ghost, oh shit it is a purple ghost who can kick my ass!"
"This is not a Minitaur, this is a Minitaur in flaming armor!"
They focused (to me it feels like) what was important, quality over quantity. They got the enemies to the point of being solid enough to reuse as frequently as they did. It is the upgrading of your weapon and fighting them in a more difficult manner that is fun. The technique of attack needs to be different.
I loved the combat too. I never really got bored of trying to find and use new combos (well, I lie, there is one point at the end, but it was only because I had to redo it so many times.) |
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Karii
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Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Posts: 31
Location: Tampa, FL
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 11:34 am Post subject: |
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| Mister Toups wrote: |
I'll clarify. I hate what videogames have become. The game that catches my fancy enough for me to write about it is pretty rare.
The only context for my actions was the flimsy, throwaway plot told through well produced but bland cut scenes. I mean what the hell IS Ratchet anyway? Who is he? Why should I care about him? |
Hm. In all fairness to the game creators, it's hard to make a game that will sell AND something that the majority of gamers will like. Even the infamous FFX that sold so well, has many detractors. it has a solid storyline (although really confusing and nonsensical at the end) but a good chunk of people still hate it. (usually because of Tidus...but I never felt like it was 'his story' anyway - it was the Yuna show to me...but I digress)
Sometimes people don't really want to think while they are gaming, it's more of an escapist outlet from whatever kind of crap day you may have had. For example, when I play Samurai Warriors, the little story bits are just a bonus. All I really want to do is see how many people I can run though.
It is hard to make a game that pleases everyone all the time. Oddly enough, Katamari Damacy (Damashii, whatever), seemed to do this and all it boils down to is 'the eternal bliss of the dung beetle'. You roll and roll and roll and make stars for your dad, who went on a drunken star-smashing binge. A sparse plot for sure and very simplistic gameplay.
You really shouldn't look down on the medium as a whole just for the fact that people are going to squee in joy over incredibly stupid games. (Woo....Halo! I run through halls and shoot things! yay! ~_~) Ignore them and keep looking for the gems, that are inevitably hidden in the waves of new releases.
...
wow, that was an incredibly positive outlook for someone as cynical as me...bleh. I feel all...dirty now...and not in the good way.  |
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Karii
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Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Posts: 31
Location: Tampa, FL
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 11:53 am Post subject: |
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Sorry about the double post, I missed this bit
| friedchicken wrote: | | shapermc wrote: | | Nudity was handled immaturely at points in this game. |
And funny that it's all female nudity too. OH!!!
But seriously, male nudity was much less taboo to the classical Greeks. Of course that would instantly render the game unsellable to 90% of its target audience.
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Thank you for pointing this out. As a girl gamer I am supposed to be blind to das boobies. Overall, I don't care but if they want to be "mature" about the presentation, start with equal nudity of both genders. *sigh* I ask for too much, I think. |
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dhex
Breeder
Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 6319
Location: brooklyn, Nev Yiork
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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yeah, pretty much. wrong medium, wrong decade probably.
on the other hand, the game is called "god of war" not "god of hugs." |
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Shapermc
Hot Sake!
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
Posts: 6279
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 1:38 pm Post subject: |
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| dhex wrote: | | on the other hand, the game is called "god of war" not "god of hugs." |
Yea, I can't wait for Chulip to actually get released. |
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Persona-sama
Weltbeherrschen Mangaka
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
Posts: 709
Location: acrylic polymer dismutation
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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| shapermc wrote: | | dhex wrote: | | on the other hand, the game is called "god of war" not "god of hugs." |
Yea, I can't wait for Chulip to actually get released. |
Wait.. wasn't Chulip shown at E3 LAST YEAR?
What's taking Atlus (or whichever developer who's domesticating it) so long? |
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dhex
Breeder
Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 6319
Location: brooklyn, Nev Yiork
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 1:58 pm Post subject: |
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is that the kissing sim thing?
that shit makes me wonder sometimes. |
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Shapermc
Hot Sake!
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
Posts: 6279
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 2:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Persona-sama wrote: | Wait.. wasn't Chulip shown at E3 LAST YEAR?
What's taking Atlus (or whichever developer who's domesticating it) so long? |
It was originally slated to be released on Valentines day this year.
It was going to get an M rating by the ESRB because of quirky moments*.
They did not want to release an "E" selling game with a M rating.
Officially it got "delayed" for the US because of a "graphic overhaul" and is going to come out.
The company that was localising it is Natsume (the Harvest Moon people). If you go to their site you can see pictures of it at E3. They took it off their site early this year everywhere else though.
*=One example of this quirkyness: to get a turtle to come out of his shell to kiss you (that is the point of the game to collect kisses) he has to see someone naked (he likes to see naked people). Your a young boy in the game. You have to go to the baths take off your clothes, sneak out of the baths past a guard, then show your nude body to the turtle to get the kiss. Yea. |
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EightBit
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Joined: 02 Mar 2005
Posts: 30
Location: Florida
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 2:35 pm Post subject: |
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| shapermc wrote: |
What program you using?
Anyways, I have a feeling your really going to enjoy Issue #2... really. |
Well, I code in C++, mostly using MFC. Though, thus far I've just done simple puzzle games... and Pong. All of which are broken. Its fun to see the ball get stuck inside the paddle in pong and then shoot out at like, a bajillion MPH.
By "working on" with this game, I mean Im just writing out story, how the skill tree works, and so forth. Not ready to start coding. I dont even know if I have the knowlege to be able to code something like that right now. At any rate, yeah, I look forward to the next issue with frothing demand... that line never gets old.
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